GovWire

You must not use virgin (unused) F gases to refill existing refrigeration systems when both of the following apply:

• the refrigeration system contains F gas equivalent to 40 tonnes or more of carbon dioxide (CO2)
• the F gas has a global warming potential above 2,500

Find out how to calculate the weight of an F gas in carbon dioxide equivalent.

This does not apply to military equipment or equipment designed to cool products to temperatures below 50C.

Mass of common F gases banned for refilling equipment

HFC 404A is the gas most affected by the ban. Its used in:

• industrial refrigeration systems
• medium and large commercial refrigeration systems, such as central pack systems in supermarkets
• large transport refrigeration systems, such as on trains or ships

How to refill refrigeration systems affected by the ban

If you need to add refrigerant to a system affected by the refill ban, you can:

• use an F gas with a global warming potential of more than 2,500 that has been reclaimed (until 2030 only)
• use an F gas with a global warming potential of more than 2,500 that has been recovered and recycled from similar equipment by your business or the business which serviced your equipment (until 2030 only)
• remove all of the F gas from the system and replace it with an F gas with the lowest possible global warming potential, for example HFC 448A or HFC 449A (known as retrofilling) - follow the manufacturers recommendation
• replace the refrigeration system with new equipment that uses a refrigerant with a lower global warming potential